


Flammable Undiagrammable Sentiments

by Paratale



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: EXTREMELY brief angst, Episode: s05e14 Conundrum, M/M, Mutual Memory Loss, Pining, Temporary Amnesia, data forgot he's not supposed to have emotions, sparkly data, talking. like so much talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22283200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paratale/pseuds/Paratale
Summary: Data and Geordi lose their memories, and with them, their preconceptions.
Relationships: Data/Geordi La Forge
Comments: 42
Kudos: 319





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> phew! it's been a while!!! but creativity is back for 2020!!!!!!!!
> 
> i watched conundrum recently and thought the whole troi/riker/ro thing would be better if it was data/geordi.

_Cheese and chalk do not talk but their eyes synchronize with a secret rhythm_

_Which is a way one could say that I love you for psychological reasons._

\-- “I Love You For Psychological Reasons,” They Might Be Giants

* * *

Geordi had heard there was an android on the way to engineering, but he wasn’t prepared for that android to be so damn _gorgeous._

Filaments of energy flowed in complex patterns beneath his skin, made visible thanks to Geordi’s VISOR, and Geordi could see all the different layers of him, as stunningly complex as any biological organism, folding over one another like petals. He was surrounded by a soft aura of pulsing electromagnetic radiation that fluctuated in patterns Geordi had never observed in the infrared glow of humanoids, and the signal burned especially bright around his cranium, not unlike a halo.

“Wow, you’re really beautiful,” he said, letting out the breath that had caught in his throat. “Wait, uh—I mean—“

“Thank you,” said the android. 

“Um, uh, you’re welcome,” Geordi coughed, tearing his gaze away from the glowing figure before him. “Let’s get to work, then.”

* * *

The crew was handling their collective bout of amnesia quite well; Geordi had a feeling they had all gotten used to weird things happening in their line of work. But it was still deeply unsettling not to know who you were, and the android, Data, was a soothing presence against that constant background level of uncertainty.

While serenely calm as he went about his duties, his face was surprisingly expressive; cycling through various pensive formations as he worked. And not only was he beautiful, he was _familiar_ ; there was something about him that warmed Geordi in a place he hadn’t realized was cold. He was soon convinced they’d known each other for years, even if he couldn’t remember any of them; he knew this just as he knew what his VISOR was and how it worked, even if he could not remember when or where he got it. 

He told Data as much—leaving out the embarrassing bits.

“I am experiencing something similar,” said Data.

“You are?”

“Yes. As though a pathway in my positronic matrix has been stimulated, but not activated. It is a curious experience.”

“I guess it’s kind of like that,” said Geordi, sitting down next to this strangely familiar android. “For me it’s like... a muscle memory. Maybe I was responsible for your maintenance, and my hands remember you.” Geordi cringed. “Sorry, that sounds a bit weird, doesn’t it?”

“I do not know,” said Data. “I am not sure what constitutes ‘weird.’ I do not think I was programmed with the ability to detect it.”

Geordi laughed. “Good, because something tells me I can be a little awkward. Maybe that’s why we’re friends.”

“Friends,” said Data, tilting his head. “Interesting.”

“What, do androids not have friends?”

“I do not know,” said Data. A brief pause. “I hope we do.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything stopping you.” Geordi smiled at Data, and Data gave him an almost imperceptible quirk of the lips in return. That warm sensation flooded Geordi’s chest again. Emboldened, he continued, “So I’m starving, and I literally can’t remember the last time I ate. Come with me to Ten Forward?”

“I do not require food,” said Data, “but I do recall that I am capable of ingesting it. I will accompany you.”

Fifteen minutes later, Geordi was watching Data take tiny sips of apple juice through a straw.

“Can you taste it?” He asked.

“I do not experience taste as you do,” said Data, “but I am able to analyze the molecular composition. This sample is mostly glucose.”

”Does that mean you like it?”

Data was silent for a few seconds. He seemed almost lost in thought. “I am experiencing something, but I have nothing to compare it to. It may be what you call interest, or enjoyment, or it may be something completely different. As I have never been human, I cannot say for sure.”

“My vision is different from the rest of the crew, because of my VISOR. Maybe you have your own android version of taste.” 

“Perhaps.” Data went silent again, and sipped his juice. “Geordi, I have been wondering something. When you see something beautiful, how do you know that it is beautiful, if what you see is different from what everyone else sees?”

“Well, beauty is pretty subjective. Even Humans without my VISOR all see things a little differently. And we all have different ideas of what is beautiful. So it doesn’t really matter that what we see is not the same. It’s the feelings we get that tells us what’s beautiful.”

“I see,” said Data. “Then perhaps I have forgotten what the patterns in my positronic matrix correspond to. I have been struggling to identify the feelings instilled in me by various stimuli.”

“Like how you feel about apple juice?”

“Yes.” 

“How does the juice make you feel, then?”

Data looked at the glass of apple juice like he was about to play three-dimensional chess with it. “I do not believe this is a strong enough stimulus to induce a response in me.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty neutral on apple juice, too.” Geordi had a risky idea. “What about me?”

“You?”

“How do I make you feel?”

Data looked at him, and now Geordi was the one being sized up for chess purposes. One of the downsides of the VISOR, Geordi knew, was that it made eye contact a bit tricky. Most people adjusted quickly, but some relied more on nonverbal communication than others, and with them, things could get lost in translation. Data wasn’t meeting Geordi’s eyes, per se, but Geordi felt that nothing was lost between them. 

“I am not certain how you make me feel,” said Data, “but I believe the feeling is… pleasant.”

“Good,” said Geordi, breathless. “I’m glad.”

Data’s mouth did that tiny quirk that was almost a smile. They looked at each other a bit longer until the bartender--a woman named Guinan--raised her eyebrows at Geordi on her way past the table, and Geordi blushed and took a long drink from his coffee.

* * *

Geordi tried to sleep, but he knew before he even laid down that it was a lost cause. Everything in his quarters gave him a nauseating sense of deja vu. After thirty fruitless minutes of tossing and turning, he threw his uniform back on and made his way to Data’s quarters.

“Hey,” he said when Data opened the door. “Hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“You are not,” said Data. An orange tabby weaved around his ankles. “I have just discovered I have a pet.”

“Aw, what a cutie,” said Geordi, and attempted to pat the cat on the head. It ducked under him and fled behind the desk.

“Do not take offense,” said Data, even though Geordi was already laughing. “I believe it may be shy.”

“That’s alright. Mind if I come in?”

Data tilted his head and stood aside so Geordi could come in. Data’s quarters held the same warm sense of familiarity that the android did. There was that feeling of deja vu again, but when it came to Data, it was the opposite of nauseating.

“Did you need something?” Data asked.

“Oh, no, I just... couldn’t sleep, that’s all. The whole situation is pretty unsettling.”

“I find it unsettling as well,” said Data. “I have been involuntarily preoccupied with questions about my origins.”

Geordi flopped down onto the couch. As soon as he hit the cushions he _knew_ it was something he’d done many times before. “You and me both.”

“Other times, I find myself thinking of you,” said Data, sitting down next to him. The cat came out of hiding to sit on his lap.

“Me?” Geordi’s heart bounced in his chest.

“Yes. It seems I have formed a habit of thinking of you, even when there is no clear reason why I should at that particular moment. This habit, together with the pleasant feeling I associate with you, leads me to conclude we must have spent time together prior to our memory loss.”

Data’s guileless honesty was infectious. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot too,” Geordi admitted. “It’s the damndest thing. I feel like I _know_ you. Before you walked into engineering I had no idea you existed. But the moment I saw you I felt something just... slide right into place.”

Data nodded, looking at Geordi even as Geordi continually glanced away out of embarrassment. Geordi sighed. “Do you think we’re ever gonna get our memories back?”

“Doctor Crusher has determined that our memory centers are undamaged,” said Data. He began petting the cat with perfectly regular, even strokes, and it purred with approval. Geordi was struck by how gentle Data could be, despite his superior strength. “Given time, there is a high likelihood we will regain our memories.”

“Good. Because I really wanna know what the hell it is I forgot about you.”

* * *

“I have been considering the possible purposes of my creation,” said Data. They were waiting for targeting systems to calibrate, in preparation for their assault on the Lysian base. “As an android, I have greater strength and durability than 99.95% of the humanoid species that are known to me. Since we are at war, it is possible that I was created for combat purposes.”

Logically, that made as much sense as any other explanation, but Geordi just couldn’t see it. “Nah, I don’t think so,” he said, almost automatically. “I mean… do you _want_ to, I don’t know, engage in a combat situation?”

“No,” said Data. “I do not believe I have any interest in physical violence.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” Geordi thought of Data petting his cat and smiled. He leaned against the console, appreciating the mental image. “You’re too gentle. I can’t see you as a war machine.”

“I am glad,” said Data. “When I became aware of the physical differences between myself and the rest of the crew, I experienced what I believe was discomfort.”

Geordi frowned. He was discovering a powerful dislike for the idea of Data being distressed or uncomfortable. “Why?”

“I am not opposed to being different. But when you said you could not see me as a ‘war machine,’ I was glad. Therefore, I conclude my discomfort came from my wish not to be perceived as such.”

“You don’t want people to be intimidated by you,” Geordi guessed. “Makes sense.”

“Correct,” said Data. “Further, I want Humans to view me as one of them. This is not a logical desire, yet it persists.”

“Well, everyone wants to fit in. If you were programmed to imitate Human behavior, it’s not surprising that you would, too.”

“But ‘everyone’ _is_ Human,” Data pointed out. “And I am not. I should not expect to ‘fit in’ as they do.”

“Okay, maybe you don’t exactly ‘ _fit in_ ’--” Geordi used heavy air quotes--“but fitting in is overrated. I don’t really fit in either, and I’m as Human as they come. It’s better to _belong_ , and I think you belong just fine.”

“Belong,” Data repeated, a pensive slant to his brows.

“Yeah. Maybe some people won’t ever really see you as Human, or even humanoid, but they’ll still consider you part of the group, and that’s what really matters. I mean, I guess I’m biased, but.” Geordi shrugged.

“Biased? How?” 

_Because I like you so damn much, even if I don’t remember why_ , Geordi thought to himself, and blushed. “Well, just in that I already think you’re selling yourself a little short here. I probably know better than most that you’re an android, but you seem pretty damn Human to me. A mechanical Human, sure, but still a Human.”

Geordi could swear Data’s aura brightened. This should have been further proof of Data’s otherness; no Human would ever appear as such in Geordi’s VISOR, and yet it was such a humanizing sight to see Data literally glow with praise.

* * *

It was over. Well, almost. It turned out the Lysians were no threat after all, and after profuse apologies to their leaders, the crew could give their complete attention to restoring their missing memories. Neither Geordi nor Data were of much help in this endeavor, and found themselves with a day off. They ran through three different holosuite programs, played chess for an hour in Ten Forward--Data trounced Geordi soundly, but Geordi still managed to surprise him with a few moves--and were making their way back to their respective quarters for the night when Data stopped Geordi in an empty corridor.

“Geordi,” he said, “There is something I would like to tell you.” He opened his mouth, then hesitated.

“Yeah?” Geordi prompted, sure that Data could hear his heart pounding.

“I have been trying to answer the question you posed to me earlier,” Data continued, “that is, how I feel about you. After much deliberation, I believe I have arrived at the answer.”

Geordi laughed in nervous anticipation. “And?”

“When I am with you, my neural networks are stimulated in a manner that I cannot describe. I do not understand what it means, or why it happens. But it is... rewarding. I believe it is a form of happiness.” Data was looking at him with such an open and trusting expression Geordi felt as though he would melt through the bulkhead. “I like you, Geordi. That is how I feel about you.”

“I like you too, Data.” Geordi was certain he was blushing. God, all his files said he was a grown adult, but right now he felt like an awkward teenager. “I uh. I like you a lot.” His stomach flipped. “Do you—do you think that before we lost our memories… do you think we’ve ever talked about this before?”

“I do not know. Perhaps we are married, like Miles O’Brien and Keiko O’Brien. I believe I would be pleased if that were the case,” he added, with astounding frankness.

Yes, Geordi was definitely blushing now, and getting a little weak-kneed to boot. “Wow. I mean, maybe. But, Data, if it turns out we’re not married or--or dating or anything--I admit I’m a little nervous to get my memory back. Whatever it is we have right now, I don’t want to lose it.”

“Neither do I,” said Data. “But I find it difficult to imagine a scenario where we do not share this certain closeness.”

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Geordi blurted. “Just—to sleep. I can use the couch. And tomorrow everything will go back to normal, but…”

“Yes,” answered Data. “I find that suggestion very agreeable.” 

They returned to Data’s quarters, where the cat was waiting. Geordi drifted off to the sound of strokes of Data’s paint brush against his canvas.

* * *

“Well,” said Geordi, “are you ready?”

Within the hour, they would both have their memories back, and life on the _Enterprise_ would return to normal… whatever that may be. They just had to leave Data’s quarters, and walk to the infirmary, and then they could get on with their lives. Whatever they were.

Knowing that the past few days were about to be irrevocably recontextualized, Geordi found himself trying to memorize what it felt like to be with Data, here, not knowing what came before or what was to come after. Once his earlier memories of Data were restored, it might be hard to remember what it was like to see Data step into main engineering for the first time. He didn’t want to forget any of it.

He realized he’d been staring at Data for some time, and had missed his response. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly, “I’m, um--”

“Geordi,” said Data. He was standing very close, Geordi realized.

“Yes?”

“May I—“

“Yes,” Geordi whispered, and Data’s lips pressed against his. 

The kiss was chaste, and very gentle, and as far as Geordi’s memory centers were concerned, his first ever. The possibility that they had actually done this many times before flashed through Geordi’s mind, and the thought made his mouth fall open slightly, allowing Data to move his lips further against his, still pressing towards him with the utmost softness. 

Data didn’t need to breathe, but Geordi did, and he pulled back just a little to catch his breath. A strand of Data’s immaculately combed hair had fallen out of place, and Geordi stroked it back into position, only to throw it back into disarray when he curled his fingers into Data’s hair and pulled him in for another, much less delicate kiss.


	2. Part Two

_Flammable undiagrammable sentiments pass between animal beings_

_Hard to explain but it's plain that I love you for psychological reasons._

\-- “I Love You For Psychological Reasons,” They Might Be Giants

* * *

“What have I gotten myself into?” Geordi asked the console he was working on.

It had been two hours since his memory had been restored, and three since he’d pushed Data against the wall of his quarters and activated a few subroutines neither of them had known existed at the time. He hadn’t seen Data since.

“He kissed _me_ , you know,” Geordi reminded the console. “So much for being incapable of feeling.”

The console beeped (because Geordi had rewired one of its secondary outputs, not because it understood).

For his part, Geordi had been crushing on Data for _years_ . How could he not? Data was handsome, and considerate, and supportive, and… he was just _Data_. To Geordi, it was a miracle Data hadn’t broken the heart of every officer on the bridge.

Geordi had always been able to write off any indications that Data might reciprocate his feelings as wishful thinking. He knew Data cared about him in his own way, but Data’s own conviction that he had no emotions--even if Geordi doubted its veracity--would always stand in the way of taking their relationship further. But _both_ of them had had their memories wiped, and Data had seemed just as invested in whatever was between them as Geordi. He had kissed Geordi _first_ , dammit.

Geordi wasn’t naive; he knew an android who hadn’t been programmed with emotions couldn’t just develop them overnight. But maybe the situation was more complicated than emotion chip versus no emotion chip. Maybe, as Data had more experiences and his personality became more complex, he was slowly developing emotions along the way. Geordi had always thought that a lot of Data’s behavior didn’t make much sense if it wasn’t driven at least in part by _something_ like emotion. 

And if that was the case, it was possible that Data might want to explore that something with Geordi.

“Yeah, I know I just gotta talk to him,” Geordi grumbled. The console booped.

* * *

By the end of his shift, Geordi had managed to talk himself up to the point where he was pretty confident he could speak to Data about this without melting into the floor. The computer told him Data was in an empty corner of Ten Forward, and Geordi marched up to him.

“We need to talk,” he said, perhaps a little zealously. He immediately regretted it when he saw Data’s posture deflate almost imperceptibly. He did not slump the way a Human would, but his gaze fell to the ground and he stopped blinking, which Geordi knew from experience meant Data was dejected.

“Geordi, please allow me to apologize for my conduct towards you while I was compromised,” Data began. Geordi’s heart clenched at the idea of Data feeling guilty about what had happened.

“Wait, you have nothing to apologize for; I just want to talk about it, because, um... Data,” said Geordi, lifting his chin and drawing on all the positive self-talk he’d been engaging in during his shift, “the thing is--I have feelings for you, and--well--it seems like you might have some for me, too.” 

Data was quiet for several seconds, completely unmoving, before he said, “You should know that I have reason to suspect my actions were motivated by selfishness. I lacked memories, but I still had the goal I was programmed with, which is to appear Human. It was this self-centered need to seem Human that led me to... behave unprofessionally towards you.”

“You’re saying you… kissed me because you thought it would be the Human thing to do?” Geordi shook his head. “But you were the one who said you liked me, there must have been some reason… something between us that made you think… Why would you even _think_ to kiss me if you didn’t…?”

“My only explanation is that without complete knowledge of myself, I believed, having forgotten my limitations but still being driven to behave as a Human would, that I was experiencing emotion. But now I understand that is impossible. I am sorry, Geordi,” said Data. For someone who supposedly didn’t have feelings, he looked pretty ashamed. “I have, as Humans say, led you on.”

“I can’t believe you’d ever ‘lead me on,’” Geordi insisted. “You don’t _lie_ , Data.”

“I did not lie, but I inadvertently misled you,” said Data. “My capacity for emotion is unchanged. I… have no romantic feelings for you.”

“Data,” said Geordi brokenly, but he was interrupted by Riker’s voice over the comm.

“Riker to Data—we’re having some trouble getting the sensor arrays back online. Can you come help us out?”

Data looked to Geordi, and Geordi sighed and gave him a quiet nod. Then Data was gone.

* * *

Life on the Enterprise had returned to normal. Reports of the incident had been filed, repairs had been made, appointments with Counselor Troi had been logged. But for Geordi, it felt like nothing at all was the same. 

Geordi and Data used to spend time together on a daily basis. If they didn’t see each other during their shifts, they would go to the holodeck, or Geordi would go to one of Data’s concerts or poetry readings, or Data would stop by Geordi’s quarters to ask him adorable (and occasionally annoying, but mostly adorable) questions about Human affairs. But ever since their ill-fated talk in Ten Forward, Data spoke to Geordi in only a strictly professional capacity. The result was a gaping hole in Geordi’s life.

He’d gone over and over the events of the past two weeks in his mind. Losing his memory, kissing Data, trying to talk to Data about it afterwards. He could almost convince himself that it had all been some stupid misunderstanding; that his wishful thinking about Data had finally gotten the better of him. But he could not let go of the memory of what had passed between himself and Data just before they kissed for the first time. 

It didn’t seem possible that the spark had been one-sided, that Data was only playing a part. Not when, for a split second, they had seemed to read one another’s minds and realize they both wanted the same thing.

But how could he explain that to Data? Data had rejected him, and he had to accept it, even if he suspected that Data’s interpretation of events was misguided. He just hoped, desperately, that in time they could be friends again. 

Then they were assigned to the same away team.

Geordi suspected that Counselor Troi (at the very _least_ ) had some inkling that things were rocky between him and Data, and probably a few other senior officers had picked up on the distance between them by now. But they were all still professionals, and they needed to be able to put their personal problems aside for the sake of duty. 

That was what Geordi kept telling himself as he analyzed the wreckage of a downed Federation shuttlecraft while Data paced the perimeter with a tricorder and pointedly did not speak to him.

“The computer’s been totally fried,” Geordi said, examining the melted polymer of the interface. “Some of the priority memory storage is heat-resistant and may have survived the crash, but we won’t know until we get it back to the Enterprise.”

“Understood,” said Data. “I am picking up significant gamma radiation around the site. It intensifies close to the starboard side of the craft. That part of the craft may have been hit with photonic weapons.” 

“Great,” Geordi mumbled. “Gonna have to go get another antirad booster when we’re done here.”

“You may return to the ship if you wish,” Data said tonelessly. “There is no reason for you to stay and be exposed to radiation. You may begin to analyze the memory banks to see if they are salvageable.”

Geordi sighed. He was tired, sweaty from the humidity on the planet’s surface, and while Data was being considerate, after the week they’d had it also kind of seemed like he just wanted to get rid of Geordi. Standing up from what he was working on to address Data, he said, “we’re exposed to much worse than this all the time our line of work, and we’re not supposed to beam down to a new planet alone. I know you don’t want to see me right now, but you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

Data paused his pacing. "That is not what I meant.”

“Uh-huh.” Geordi made a motion to return to his work on the computer system, but only managed to glare at the console.

“I did not suggest you return because I do not wish to see you.”

“Then why have you been avoiding me all week?” Geordi snapped, setting his sonic wrench down with more force than was necessary and turning back to Data, who was now taking cautious steps towards him. “Does it bother you that much that I have feelings for you?”

“I am not capable of being bothered.”

“Now that I just don’t believe. You get bothered when Reg cheats at cards.”

“That is a function of my ethical programming. Geordi,” Data continued, “I am not capable of being bothered, but you are. It was my assumption based on previous experience that you would not wish to interact with me after our conversation in Ten Forward.”

“Oh my God,” said Geordi, and scrubbed a hand over his face. A mixture of exasperation and relief rolled over him.

“Was I wrong?”

“Yes! Of course I still want to interact with you, Data. You’re my best friend. None of this has to change that. Why on Earth would you just assume otherwise?”

Data looked at the ground. “Last year, I attempted a romantic relationship with Jenna D’Sora. I thought that because I had a positive estimation of her and found her company stimulating, if I could simulate the properties she desired in a partner, we would form a lasting relationship with benefits to both parties. But I was unable to adequately simulate romantic behavior, and Jenna ended our relationship. Afterwards, Jenna ceased interactions with me outside of a professional setting.” Data wasn’t blinking. “I assumed you, too, would prefer distance, as I have disappointed you romantically.”

“Oh, Data.” Geordi sighed. “I’m not Jenna. I don’t want you to stop talking to me.”

“Ah,” said Data. “Then I must apologize again for causing you emotional distress.”

“Look,” said Geordi, guiding Data over to sit with him in the wreckage. “I don’t wanna argue with you about this. If this is your way of saying no to going out with me or whatever, I’ll respect that. But… is the fact that your relationship with Jenna failed also part of why you’re so convinced you can’t return my feelings?”

“It… is a consideration, yes.”

“Data, when we lost our memories, and you forgot you weren’t supposed to have feelings, you… _responded_ to me in a way I don’t think either of us thought was possible. And I know you think you were only trying to act Human, but… maybe you were just acting like that because you wanted to be with me, the same way I wanted to be with you. Call that emotion, call it familiarity, call it your ethical programming, even call it a basic drive to act like a Human. But if you want me, in that way, emotions or no emotions… I want you, too. That’s all.” 

Data considered this for a long time, especially by android standards. Then he finally blinked. “I cannot explain it, but it seems imperative to me that I accept your invitation to begin a relationship, even though there is no obvious reason why I must do so.”

Geordi laughed. “I think that’s what Humans call _desire_ , Data.”

“Perhaps it is an android version of desire,” Data agreed. His gaze dropped to Geordi’s lips. “It also seems imperative to me that I kiss you as soon as possible.”

“Data, you can kiss me whenever you’d like,” said Geordi, and leaned over to grant Data’s wish.

Riker waggled his eyebrows at Geordi when he and Data stepped off the transporter pad thirty minutes later. Geordi wondered if this hadn’t been the plan all along.

* * *

Geordi yawned awake to the sound of Data requesting Feline Supplement 221 from the replicator, followed by Spot’s appreciative mews. 

“Good morning, sweetie,” said Data when Geordi wandered out of the bedroom. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Geordi replied, barely holding in laughter. “Are you trying out pet names?”

“Yes. If ‘sweetie’ is not agreeable to you, there are many more in the database I have compiled.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Data, but ‘sweetie’ just makes me think of my mom.”

“Understandable.” Then Data added, “darling.”

Geordi considered the word. “Actually, I kind of like that one.” He slipped his VISOR on in time to see Data glow with satisfaction.

“I will endeavor to slip it into conversation in the future.”

“Cool. Just not while we’re at work, please,” Geordi snorted. “...Honey.”

“Honey,” Data repeated.

“Yeah. How do you feel about that?”

Data turned around, and smiled in his subtle android way. “I like it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been known to make small changes to stories after I've posted them. If I do so, I will note it here.


End file.
